In the world of gymnastics, few names shine as brightly as Simone Biles. She is a testament to the transformative power of parental support and investment that is harbored in the World Champions Center, run by her family. That has once again come into focus, this time with a 16-year-old gymnast, Tiana Sumanasekera. Following in the footsteps of Biles, her journey once again turns the spotlight on the World Champions Center, founded by Simone Biles’ parents Nellie and Ron Biles.
The journey of Sumanasekera from an inspired 8-year-old gymnastics enthusiast to a 16-year-old trainee is remarkable. As a young child, she marveled at Biles’ unbeatable performances during the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, where Biles clinched an impressive four titles. Looking back, she says, “I mean, sometimes it doesn’t even hit me, but when it does, it’s just like, ‘Wow. I’ve really come this far.” With Simone Biles serving as both inspiration and blueprint, this young gymnast is already dreaming big.
Young gymnast, inspired by Simone Biles, looks four years beyond
World Champions Center (WCC) struck Nellie Biles’ mind just after Simone Biles won her first world championship in 2013. Teen Gymnast Tiana Sumanasekera is a trainee here. Sumanasekera started her elite gymnastics career at West Valley Gymnastics and finished ninth all-around as a junior at the 2022 U.S. championships. Following that competition, she made a major move from California to Texas and the World Champions Centre. “I knew I wanted to improve my bars if I wanted to be competitive in the senior elite field”, Sumanasekera recently told Olympics.com. Just like a professional, she knew where she lacked, and that was the reason WCC came to her mind.
The 16-year-old continued expressing that the idea of being trained by Laurent and Cecile left her astonished. She knew about the level of skills she’d improve just by having them as her coach. Continuing her statements, she added, “I really loved their coaching style, so I wanted to be a part of that as well and be a part of an incredible team and have the teammates that I do today.” The young athlete is already aiming for the 2028 Olympics and training for the same. “I would love to try for the ’28 Olympics. I mean, whatever happens, happens, but that is the goal,” the youngster firmly says. With coaches like Laurent Land and Cécile, and a training companion none other than the GOAT Simone Biles, this could be the beginning of an era.
How did the champion-producing center start?
The idea of WCC is still described as “insane” by Nellie Biles, who has a net worth of $1million. After Simone’s coach since childhood left the gym, Nellie and her partners were not ready to retire, and in the process, she came up with the idea as she expressed, “Let’s build a gym where Simone and other kids can train with state-of-the-art equipment in a healthy and safe environment”. It was not long before they really started implementing their ideas and ended up creating a gym that stood up to their expectations.
Building from scratch, the process ended up with a 52,000-square-meter gym inaugurated in 2015. Around 29,000 meters are given to gymnastics, trampoline, dancing, and taekwondo training. The gymnasium was built as a training center for the champion, as well as future gymnasts. As the couple explained, “Representation matters, and we want to inspire the next generation to pursue their passion.” The dedication and support given by them are appreciable and act as an inspiration to many.
